Pre-School
A range of services available for children before they go to the primary school. Types of services available such as Kindergarten, Child care centres, Family day care, Playgroup, Maternal and Child Health and Early Childhood Intervention Services.
Kindergarten is an important step in children development providing skills they will build on through school, work and life. At Kindergarten, children will grow socially and emotionally, and their language, literacy and motor skills will be developed as they learn through play, art, craft, dance, music, movement and interacting with others. To find a quality kindergarten program in your local area, you may find a kindergarten.
Child care services are provided for 0-6 years old usually by a mix of qualified and other staff. The centres typically operate for at least 8 hours a day on normal working days for a minimum of 48 weeks per year. Meanwhile for Family day care, the services are provided for 0-5 years olds in the carer’s own home.
Playgroup is for children aged 0-4 years and their parents or carers. Maternal and Child Health services are provided free for all Victorian families with children aged 0 to 6 years old. It offers support, information and advice regarding parenting, child health and development, child behaviour, maternal health and well-being, child saftey, immunisation, breastfeeding, nutrition and family planning. Parents can also join groups that provide an opportunity to meet other parents in the local area.It offers support, information and advice regarding parenting, child health and development, child behaviour, maternal health and well-being, child saftey, immunisation, breastfeeding, nutrition and family planning. Parents can also join groups that provide an opportunity to meet other parents in the local area.
The Early Childhood Intervention Services supports children with a disability or developmental delay from birth to school entry. This service provides support to the families of these children along with providing special education, therapy, counseling, service planning and coordination, assistance and support to access services such as kindergarten and child care.
Primary School
There are mainly 2 types of schools in Victoria namely Public (State) schools and Private schools. Primary school is for for children from grade prep to grade six. Children attending government schools must be 5 years of age by 30 April of the year they start school.
Students attend school for about 40 weeks per year, divided into 4 school terms. Holidays typically last for 2 weeks, while the summer holiday break is at 6 weeks. You may check out the school term dates. As for the course of study, 8 themes form the basis of learning in primary schools - English, Health and Physical Education, Language other than English, Maths, Science, Society and Environment, Technology, and the Arts/Music. Children who have recently arrived in Australia may be eligible for classes in English as a Second language (ESL) within their school.
Public primary school are fully government-funded but a voluntary school levy per student per year usually applies. Parents will also need to pay for uniforms, some books and extra-curricular subjects. However there is subsidy from government of $300 to the family whose children entering prep year as well as grade 7 in terms of the uniform purchase. Meanwhile private school fees vary widely, typically the fee is ranging from $8500 to $20,000 a year excluding the uniforms, books and extra-curricular subjects.
Students attend school from Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 3.30pm. To support the working parents, majority of the government schools do provide childcare service through before-school care, after-school care and vacation care. To enrol a child, several documents will be required.
- Evidence of child’s date of birth
- Name and contact details of parents or carers
- Immunisation Status Certificate
- Health and welfare information
- Information about the language the child speaks
Now the key question is how to find a primary school. Most children attend primary school close to home. However if parents wish to send child to a school in different zone, then there is a need to contact the school directly. You may check out the school online to find a neighbouring school. Per my experience and observation, majority of parents will choose to send their children to public or state school for the primary education. However for some parents who have higher affordability, they will send their children to private primary school.
Since 2008, all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sat common national literacy and numeracy tests, which provided information about how Australian children are performing on a national basis.
The national literacy and numeracy tests provide useful information for teachers and schools on individual student performance on a national basis. From this information, teachers and schools know how well their students are performing, and are able to identify areas of strength and where further assistance may be required.
National testing also means greater consistency, comparability and transferability of results across jurisdictions in a way that was not possible under the previous system. To know more about NAPLAN assessment and test sample questions, you may visit the Naplan website.
High School/Secondary College
As for high school or secondary college, majority of the parents will be very particular to ensure they send their children to top schools for better VCE result to enter good universities. This website provides a list of the top ranking Victorian high schools. Majority of the top ranked high schools are located in the Melbourne city or expensive areas such as Balwyn, Kew, Burwood, Toorak and etc.
The top two public schools are Mac Robertson Girls’ High School and Melbourne High School. They are the best academic high schools in Victoria. However both schools require prospective students to sit for an examination, and an enty into the school is determined through the performance on the exam. These schools do not accept international students (must be either Australian Citizen or Permanent Residence).
For other public schools, the strong recommendation will be University High School, Mount Waverley Secondary College, Glen Waverley Secondary College and Balwyn High School. Their performance in the VCE results are pretty good. These schools are located at the relatively expensive areas in the Eastern suburbs with median house price at $550k-650k.
About VCE - The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is a certificate that recognises the successful completion of secondary education in Victoria. It is an outstanding qualification that is recognised around the world. The VCE provides pathways to further study at university, Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and to the world of work. It is even possible to undertake a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship within your VCE.
The VCAA develop courses that enable VCE students to acquire skills and knowledge in a wide range of studies. We are also responsible for ensuring the quality of the school-assessed component of the VCE, the external examinations and the delivery of all VCE results to students across the State every year.
For more information on the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment, you may refer to this link.
